Can childhood breathing patterns effect the development of the mouth and lower face?
Breathing is something that we don’t think about. It just happens involuntarily. That’s a good thing because getting oxygen into our systems is vital to life. But because we don’t think about it, we don’t think about how we breathe. What I mean by that is breathing with an open nasal airway facilitating most of the oxygen passing through the nose is very different than breathing with the mouth open allowing most or all of the oxygen to pass through the mouth. From a growth standpoint, mouth breathing requires the tongue to drop from the roof of the mouth in order to allow for air passage through the mouth. Tongue position is a huge factor in the developing the width of the jaw bones, particularly the width of the upper jaw. What we see in children who are habitually breathing with their mouths open is a narrowing of the upper jaw so, over a period of a couple years, the upper and lower teeth fail to meet in a functional bite relationship. That altered bite relationship is referred to simply as a cross-bite of the posterior (back) teeth.
Well, cross-bites of the posterior teeth are common and can be corrected. But unless the cause of the cross-bite is changed, the cross-bite will re-develop. So in order for growth and development to proceed naturally and with optimum outcome, the child should use his or her nose for breathing purposes most of the time. That proves to be challenging for many children with chronic allergies, rhinitis conditions, or swollen adenoids. These children are the ones who snore at night and seem to gasp occasionally for air while sleeping.
Beyond the immediate growth effects to the mouth, the oxygen that reaches the lungs is actually better if brought through the nose. Air passing through the nose passes through a series of narrowing and opening flaps, called concha, or turbinates. These concha propel the air, giving it more speed as it reaches the lungs and consequently the air penetrates deeper into the lungs allowing for more oxygen absorption. The concha also regulate temperature of the air and provide important immunological functions. More healthy life giving oxygen reaches the blood if the child breathes through his or her nose.
How do children transition from mouth to nose breathing? The first thing is making sure there is an open airway through the nose. Breathing difficulties usually result from physical obstacles in the nose—swollen adenoids, swollen concha, dried mucus, rhinitis. These should be evaluated by the child’s pediatrician and treated according to the severity.
Breathing is something that we don’t think about. It just happens involuntarily. That’s a good thing because getting oxygen into our systems is vital to life. But because we don’t think about it, we don’t think about how we breathe. What I mean by that is breathing with an open nasal airway facilitating most of the oxygen passing through the nose is very different than breathing with the mouth open allowing most or all of the oxygen to pass through the mouth. From a growth standpoint, mouth breathing requires the tongue to drop from the roof of the mouth in order to allow for air passage through the mouth. Tongue position is a huge factor in the developing the width of the jaw bones, particularly the width of the upper jaw. What we see in children who are habitually breathing with their mouths open is a narrowing of the upper jaw so, over a period of a couple years, the upper and lower teeth fail to meet in a functional bite relationship. That altered bite relationship is referred to simply as a cross-bite of the posterior (back) teeth.
Well, cross-bites of the posterior teeth are common and can be corrected. But unless the cause of the cross-bite is changed, the cross-bite will re-develop. So in order for growth and development to proceed naturally and with optimum outcome, the child should use his or her nose for breathing purposes most of the time. That proves to be challenging for many children with chronic allergies, rhinitis conditions, or swollen adenoids. These children are the ones who snore at night and seem to gasp occasionally for air while sleeping.
Beyond the immediate growth effects to the mouth, the oxygen that reaches the lungs is actually better if brought through the nose. Air passing through the nose passes through a series of narrowing and opening flaps, called concha, or turbinates. These concha propel the air, giving it more speed as it reaches the lungs and consequently the air penetrates deeper into the lungs allowing for more oxygen absorption. The concha also regulate temperature of the air and provide important immunological functions. More healthy life giving oxygen reaches the blood if the child breathes through his or her nose.
How do children transition from mouth to nose breathing? The first thing is making sure there is an open airway through the nose. Breathing difficulties usually result from physical obstacles in the nose—swollen adenoids, swollen concha, dried mucus, rhinitis. These should be evaluated by the child’s pediatrician and treated according to the severity.
